However, the claims do not appear to have taken account of a previous statement from prime minister Theresa May, when she set out the long term funding settlement for the health service.

She said in July: “Under our plan, NHS funding will grow on average by 3.4 per cent in real terms each year from 2019-20 to 2023-24. We will also provide an additional £1.25bn each year to cover a specific pensions pressure.”

A government spokesman restated this when contacted by HSJ today, saying: “Under our plan, the NHS will receive increased funding of more than £20bn per year by the end of 2023-24. We will also provide an additional £1.25bn each year to cover rising pensions costs for NHS staff.”

This would fall short of the estimated costs by around £100m, and it is unclear whether the government would increase its support if the estimate proves correct. Labour said the estimated costs were based on analysis by the House of Commons library.

It does not appear that similar commitments – to fund the extra costs from 2020-21 – have been made for other public sector employers.

The changes are due to lower long term economic growth forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility, which increases the projected burden of future public sector pension promises.

No comments yet

Have your say

Only registered users can comment on this article.

More News

As the year draws to an end, we look back on the 10 most-read stories from the mental health sector. These include the announcement of two trust chiefs stepping down and a merger to create the biggest mental health and community trust in the country being delayed

As the dust settles on 2018, we look at the most read articles relating to the acute sector. They include Sir David Nicholson joining a troubled trust, a leadership exodus in Lancashire and news that an interim manager was paid £311,000 for six months’ work

As the year draws to an end, we look back on the 10 most-read stories from the commissioning sector. These include the announcement of the new joint executive team of NHS England and NHS Improvement and the appointment of a chief for the biggest group of CCGs.